Nutrition Tips, written by Coach/Pro Triathlete and Certified Athletic Trainer, Matt Hanson

Recovery is an all day task, especially if you want to compete and train at a very high level of intensity. Recovery starts immediately after your workout and continues all of the way until your next one starts. There are multiple components of recovery as well. Besides the physical component, you also have the mental component. It is essential to take both in consideration as you prepare for the next workout.

Nutrition is an extremely important component of recovery. What you put into your body can play a significant role in how ready you are for your next workout. Drs. John Ivy and Robert Portman identified 3 distinct phases of recovery. The first phase, the Energy Phase, is essentially the workout itself. The calories you take in during the workout will help to limit your immune system suppression (limiting the window of increased opportunity for you to get sick following the workout), minimize muscular damage, and helps to set the nutritional stage for faster recovery. During this phase, carbohydrates should be your primary source of caloric intake. The Anabolic phase is second. This phase is the first 45 to 60 minutes following the exercise bout. The purpose of this phase is to shift the metabolic activity from a catabolic to an anabolic state (stop breaking down and start building), speed the elimination of metabolic wastes and increasing muscle blood flow, and start to replace the sugar in the muscles. During this phase, tissue healing is also initiated. Here it is important to get both carbohydrates and protein. The suggested ratio of carbohydrate to protein is between 3:1 and 4:1. The growth phase is the final phase which lasts for up to 24 hours or until your next workout. There are multiple components in the growth phase and it actually can get quite complex. However, the overall functions of this phase are to ensure you are consuming enough calories to maintain the anabolic state created in phase 2, maintain insulin sensitivity, and start promoting muscle turnover.

So how can you use this information to aid your own recovery? First, make sure you are properly fueling, primarily with carbohydrates, during your workouts. A general rule of thumb is to add some sorts of calories to any workout that is over 60-90 minutes. Next, eat or drink something as soon as you can after your workout and make sure it has both carbohydrates and protein. Many recovery drinks will do the trick (but some won’t!), but granola bars and even chocolate milk should provide the appropriate ratio of carbs to protein. Some recovery drinks and bars can actually have too much protein in them so just pay a little attention. During the third stage, it is best to eat smaller “meals” every 1-2 hours that include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.